Singapore wants ethical hackers to get a license, or else

When it comes to information security, Singapore is a world leader. The tiny Asian nation punches well above its weight, topping lists like the International Telecommunication Union’s Global Cybersecurity Index . But if a draft bill comes to fruition , it’ll be the first country to license ethical hackers , forcing anyone doing investigative work (penetration testers, basically) to pay (and study) up. The same is also true for anyone working in computer forensics. Anyone working without a license will quickly find themselves in hot water, with a potential maximum penalty of two years in jail and up to S$50,000 ($36,000) in fines. According to Quartz’s Joon Ian Wong , this is “in line with the country’s reputation for extreme orderliness.” Given he used to live there, I’ll take his word for it. You could argue that licensing will weed out low-talent ‘skids’ from the marketp...